So, you don’t have time, money, or support to start a leadership development team? Here’s three things you can do to develop leaders without having an actual “program.”
Model Leadership-Lead where others can see. Invite emerging leaders to participate with you in everyday work like planning, phone calls, lesson prep, and all those other mundane things that add up to great leadership. Invite them into your morning prayer time, meetings, and other places that they’ll get the feel for leadership and learn the process. Best of all, it doesn’t take up much extra time, because you are already doing these things.
Disciple-We already know that the best Christian leaders are those that are Christ Centered. When you put an emphasis on discipleship, you are investing not only in the spiritual maturity of those you teach, but helping emerging leaders see what Christ demands in a person whom He’ll use as a leader.
Mentor-All right, this one takes a little extra time, but short of an actual program, mentoring is probably the best way to develop individual leaders. Take a young person under your wing and pour your life into them. Don’t just use this as a time to teach about leadership, but show the emerging leader how to live a sustainable life in Christian Leadership. A mentoring relationship may be the most influential relationship in an emerging leader’s life.
Not having the green light to start a leadership development program doesn’t mean you can’t develop young leaders. There are plenty of opportunities; you just have to look for them.
